The Ministry of Health has given four Czech hospitals clearance to administer the experimental drug Remdesivir to Covid-19 patients, including St. Anne’s Hospital in Brno. The drug, whose effectiveness is not yet proven, was originally developed to treat Ebola. Photo: St. Anne’s Hospital in Brno. Credit: KK / Brno Daily.
Brno / Czech Rep., Apr 27 (BD) – The decision applies to four hospitals in the country, but St. Anne’s Hospital in Brno is the only one in Moravia. The other three are all in Prague: General University Hospital, Na Bulovce Hospital and the University Hospital in Motol. According to Dana Lipovská, as quoted in the Czech media outlets, a spokeswoman for St. Anne’s Hospital, the treatment should arrive at the hospital within two weeks.
The decision was announced by Deputy Health Minister Roman Prymula: “As this is a unique treatment that has no alternative on the Czech market and whose purpose is already as a medicinal product to treat serious health conditions, the Ministry of Health temporarily authorizes the distribution, dispensing and use of Remdesivir.”
The experimental drug will only be administered to patients requiring a ventilator for their condition. Remdesivir has only been used on one patient in the Czech Republic so far, a taxi driver from Prague who was one of the earliest cases of the infection in the country, and whose condition improved after taking the treatment. However, a report leaked a few days ago suggests that Remdesivir may not be as effective as hoped.
Since the first confirmed case in South Moravia on March 11th, there have been 426 positive cases in the region, from 5,947 tests carried out (as of Apr. 26, 6pm).
Of these, the vast majority (351; 82%) were treated at home, with 48 hospitalized in the infectious diseases department and 27 in other medical facilities. 14 people have died from the disease in South Moravia, at an average age of 74, and 210 people have recovered. 535 people are currently in quarantine, either for crossing the Czech border or due to contact with suspected carriers.
